The Letter
by ReesesPieces87
Summary: This takes place at another school where a girl finds herself stalked by a mysterious lover after recieving a letter.
1. Chapter 1

The Letter

Chapter One

Trouble

The sound of rain striking the window panes and the hurried footsteps of five teenage girls were the only things that could be heard in the far halls of Majorika Academy for Wizards and Witches.

"Are you sure Sierra didn't see us?" The tallest, blond girl asked nervously as the five turned the corner. All the girls wore matching dark green robes with a blue crest on the left side of their chests. All was uniform, except for the curly names inscribed under each crest in gold embroidery. The blond girl's robe said Carly. "Because she will go tattle as soon as she runs into a professor.

"I don't know," said the shortest, red haired girl, who's robe had Jade sprinkled upon it, "We can't afford to have Cougarton lose anymore points! Serpentine is catching up! If they win, Sierra will have something to taunt us about!"

"Why was she even there?" asked the sporty brunette named Cameron. "Is there anything else that little weasel can do besides harass us?"

"Probably not," stated the shorter brunette girl named Laura, "her main focus is to run our lives." The group turned left down a windowless corridor.

"How did she know we'd be there?" said the black haired girl named Shayla.

"She probably spies on us." Carly maneuvered right to the large door that said "Cougarton"

"Carrot Stew." The door swung open to a blue decorated room. The five rushed in before it shut. The room was empty, except for a small, brunette girl, sitting in the armchair by the fireplace, reading.

"Where were you?" exclaimed the girl as she stood to meet them.

"Lydia, what are you doing up?" said Laura to her first year sister.

"I'm studying Defense Against the Dark Arts. Is that a crime? You, on the other hand, were out after hours, weren't you! Oh, you're in trouble!"

"Shut up, Lydia, please!" Laura whispered loudly.

"OK, where were you?" Lydia crossed her arms.

"Umm…we were…looking for Carly's wand," said Shayla. "Y-yeah…she left it in the lunch hall." All five girls nodded. Lydia squinted her eyes.

"Do you think I'm that stupid?" snarled Lydia, "If you don't tell me where you were, then I will tell a teacher, and, Laura, I will tell mom and dad." The five sighed.

"We used Floo Powder to go to Diagon Alley." said Carly.

"What!" Lydia was stunned, "You actually went? Why!"

"I needed a new Transfiguration book by tomorrow," said Jade pulling a large, red book from her robes, "Sierra put a spell on my old one. It won't stop trying to fly off."

"You couldn't have your parents send it with an owl?" Lydia gave Jade a look that clearly told Jade she was stupid.

"Well, it's kind of hard for my parents to do that considering I'm muggle-born."

"Oh, sorry," said a surprised Lydia.

"You can't tell anybody, Lydia," said Laura sternly, "Understand?"  
"Yeah, I do, but did anybody who wouldn't understand, see you?"

"We're not sure." said Carly nervously.

"What do you mean you are not sure?"  
"Well," Carly began, "We're not sure if…Sierra saw us."

"Sierra! Oh, if she saw you, you are dead."

"Of course, she'd be too, because she was out after hours also." said Jade

"True, but remember, Sierra is smart, pretty, and she's Professor Thorn's favorite student."

"Yeah," said Cameron, "how about we don't let it bother us, OK, then we won't look like we are up to something."

"Lets just go to bed, I'm about to doze off just standing here." Carly said as she made her way upstairs to the girl's dormitory to the door that said "5th year Girls", followed by Shayla, Laura, Cameron, Jade, and Lydia, who went into the 1st year dormitory.

The large room was decorated in blue and it had five single sized beds and five desks littered with numerous books and parchment. Carly made her way over to her corner by the large window and plopped down on the comfy bed. She looked out the window at the moonlight that glimmered beautifully across the school grounds. Smiling, she stood up to change into her pajamas, when something white caught her eye. Carly turned to her desk to find a small envelope with her name scribbled in gold ink.

"Umm….did somebody bring this earlier?" She held up the envelope.

"No, must of come while we were in London," said Cameron, "Who is it from?" Carly checked all over for a name.

"It doesn't say."  
"Don't open it!" said Jade, "It could be jinxed, you can't be too careful nowadays with You-Know Who back!"

"Really, now, who would jinx Carly?" said Laura.

"Well, it can be something evil, or it could be Sierra pulling a prank."

"Please, Jade…"

"It's not Sierra," Carly interrupted Cameron.

"How do you know?"  
"The handwriting is different, and it's not feminine."

"Oh, whatever, it wouldn't be jinxed or cursed. Just open it." said Shayla. All four girls stared attentively at Carly as she tore the seal and pulled out a folded piece of light blue parchment. She unfolded it to more golden writing.

"Who's if from?" asked Jade.

"It still doesn't say."

"Well, read it to us!" Cameron said eagerly. Carly moved over to the light. The ink shimmered across the page.

"Dearest Carly…."


	2. A Secret Lover

Chapter Two

A Secret Lover

"…My heart feels like it's about to burst because I cannot see you up close, or let you know my true identity…."

"..Ooo, how romantic! A faceless lover!" interrupted Cameron.

"Shh! Let her read it all!" scolded Shayla. Carly returned to the letter.

"…The first time I laid eyes on you, my breath was stolen away, and my eyes filled with tears. Love at first sight only happens ever so often, some never experience it. But the day I saw your gentle brown eyes and your long, dreamy blond hair, I fell into a fantasy of the most beautiful angel that ever existed stand before me, and I wanted you to take me into heaven. But I had to keep away, with a broken heart. The answer is too heartrending for such a delicate and beautiful soul to be instantly crushed. I must know your feelings, though you do not know me. It's too painful to look at you everyday, not able to show my heart to you, or for you even to know my name. I want to tell you in person one night beneath the willow tree by the pond, under a full moon. Maybe we can wait, and get to know each other by letter, or before the current full moon ends. Please, don't say no, my heart is too fragile for such a burden. Send me an owl. Address it to "the boy who walks by the pond at midnight". I await your response, my love, until then, take care. Love, Yours Truly." The room remained silent. Everybody were surprised at the letter.

"So," said Jade as she broke the long silence, "what are you going to do, Carly?"

"I don't know, what should I do?"

"Write him back and tell him that you'll meet him tomorrow night," said Cameron, "He deserves it after he just poured his heart out to you."  
"No, he is hiding something," said Laura, "It's too suspicious. What is so bad about him that he can't see you or reveal his identity?"

"I agree, he could be setting you up," said Jade.

"Oh come on! You need to write this guy back!" said Shayla, "He obviously is a bit shy and wants you to be by yourself when you first meet him. It's kind of a blind date, except he sets it up, and you are the only one who is blind. I think it's romantic."

"Just because it's romantic sounding doesn't mean he could be planning something on the side," said Laura, "He said it would break her heart if she were to find out who he is!"

"Stop being so paranoid!" said Cameron, "Who would want to kill Carly? She's certainly not on You-Know Who's top ten hit list! Carly, just write him back on how you feel, not what we think."

Carly looked down at the letter. She noticed teardrops staining parts of the gold ink. He was really crying, she thought. She immediately grabbed a quill, ink, and a blank piece of parchment from the stack that littered her desk.

"What are you doing?" asked Jade. "You are not writing him now, are you? It's too late."

"No, I don't know what to say at the moment. I'm just writing the opening as a reminder."

"Oh, well, good night, Carly."

"Good night, Jade." The rest of the girls joined in. The lights went off, and Carly slid onto her bed. She was asleep the minute her head hit the pillow and almost instantly floated off into a dream.

It was nighttime, the full moon flooded the school grounds with luminous white light. Carly made her way towards the glimmering pond. She looked down to see herself draped in a marvelous white dress, that floated behind her in the breeze like a gentle river and glowed intensively in the radiant moonlight. She could feel the cool night air on her face as she walked towards the little willow tree by the pond. She squinted into the darkness, but no shadows that resembled a man could be seen. She continued forward, hoping that it wasn't a set up. She began to breath nervously, until….a tall figure appeared from behind the tree.

"Hello?" she said, hoping not to get a teacher's voice.

"Carly," said the man. He sounded like he was only sixteen or seventeen years old, "I'm glad you came. Come, my love, sit down." Carly moved forward. She saw the man's face was hidden in his robes. She sat down beside him.

"Why are you hiding in your robes? Can I at least see your face or learn your name?"

"No, I'm sorry, Carly. It hurts me too. This is something that cannot be discussed. It's too painful and too dangerous. Carly I have brought you here to spend one night here with you, because I cannot be with you, I can only love you. It's the only thing I can do, for us." The man pulled a red rose from his robes. He leaned forward towards Carly. Carly leaned towards him until her lips hovered over what she could see of his. Then….

"Wake up, Carly!" shouted the familiar voice of Cameron. "It's time for Transfiguration! Professor Dunken is going to give us detention if we are late again, come on, get your robes on!"

"Alright, Alright!" Carly jumped out of bed, half asleep. She slid her robes on and grabbed her wand and walked out the door behind Cameron. "Oh wait, I forgot my book!"

"Hurry up, then!" Cameron shouted at the base of the stairs as Carly ran back to her desk for her book. She moved many papers around before she found it. Something in her vision was moving outside. She looked up and out the window, to the pond. Nothing. She rolled her eyes thinking that it was just a left over of her dream and walked out the door, a mysterious boy watching her window from behind the willow tree.


	3. Queen Sierra

Chapter 3

Queen Sierra

Carly, Cameron, Jade, Laura, and Shayla all ran out of their house's door, and down the hall to their first class, Transfiguration. Though it wasn't their favorite class, the girls really liked Professor Halo Dunken, who always tried to make lessons fun with a trick or two up his sleeve. Transfiguration was somewhat difficult because of what they had to change objects into. All five girls feared their seventh year because it is the year where they had to turn a frog into a working wand, and they have to perform three moderate charms with it.

The girls all turned to the door that said "Room 4232" and pushed it open. Professor Dunken had already begun the lesson on turning rats into irons.

"Ladies, you are very late!" Professor Dunken, a young, tall wizard with light brown hair, pointed to the crooked clock on the left wall. The students in the room turned to see the five standing at the doorway. "I will talk to you after class, girls."

The five girls sat down in their usual right corner farthest away from the Professor, sweating excessively. Professor Dunken continued with the lesson, turning another rat into a working iron with a "Rattus Wrinktollis" spell. Carly turned to page two hundred and fifty seven, when she heard a ripple of usual snickering.

Across the room, in the corner, sat a group of three girls and two boys, all quietly laughing and snearing so Professor Dunken wouldn't hear. Sierra Pomatress was one of the most popular girls in Serpentine, mostly for her money, her deathly beauty, and her selfish ways of recruiting followers. Sierra's father, Luden Pomatress, was the prosecuter for witches and wizards who find themselves in Askaban. Her slanted,emerald green eyes and full-lipped mouth smirked at the five. She flipped her pin-straight strawberry blond hair over her shoulder after every little secret she told and scrunched her pointed nose at every laugh. Next to Sierra sat Malfichio Raiderstrong, the rudest most inconsiderate boy in the school, and that was how Sierra liked her men. Malfichio had dark brown hair that was clean cut all the time. He had the same smirk on his pale, freakled face as Sierra did, only his eyes were as black and as cold as the night time sky would be without stars. Next to Malfichio was his best friend, Cale Pierce, a tall, muscular bully with dark blond spiked hair who beats up people for Sierra and Malfichio who they don't like. Sitting in front of Sierra, Malfichio, and Cale was Yayo Coaltrain and Michelle Dulan, Sierra's best friends and loyal followers. Yayo was a short blond girl who was mean, angry, and somewhat violent. Her eyes pierced into the souls she hated and many avoided her. Michelle was a tall black haired girl with cold blue eyes and ghostly white skin that made her appear dead. As judgemental as Sierra and as bitter as Yayo, she was like any other Serpentine student, sly and cunning with hints of evil. None of the five Serpentines ever payed the slightest bit of attention in Transfiguration, spending most of their time making up rumors and jokes about Carly, Cameron, Jade, Laura, and Shayla.

Off and on during the lesson, Carly, who sat closest to Sierra and her friends, heard snipets of their conversation. Some was the usual rumor creating stuff about Carly and her friends, like how they think Carly and Micheal Price, a good friend of Carly's, who is in Falcolnfury, are dating each other, and a very crude rumor about Laura and Adam Singer, another good friend of the girls in Foxestress, have snuck off together and done some unmentionable things together. Carly learned how to ignore Sierra's torturous rumors with a swift brush off the shoulder. Once Sierra got bored, she started on students in the class, who didn't just brush these sort of things off their shoulder.

"I wonder how many times Gregory Grepe is going to end up in detention, he's such a loser." Somebody whispered from Sierra's group. Gregory Grepe was a tall, black haired boy in Falconfury who had a bit of a nag of getting in trouble. "I wonder if we could count every time he twitches his eye, but it's so freaky, I can't even watch."

"What about that stupid fourth year girl, Caitlin Trellis? She needs to go back to a special class. I heard she can't even do a lumos charm without exploding a few glasses and mugs. At least she's not a stupid mudblood like Jade Lumino. I can't stand anybody who is even half-blood. Why did we even start to marry into muggle families. It makes our wizards terrible as magic is squeezed out of families. It's just too sad." The word 'mudblood', made Carly cringe, alot because the snearing was about her friend. Carly ignored them until the end of the lesson, which Professor Dunken ended with turning his desk into a bear. He dismissed class, and Carly, Cameron, Jade, Laura, and Shayla all went to the desk, which he just changed to it's original form.

"Girls, I need to talk to you." Professor Dunken sat in his chair on the opposite side. "As you know, he-who-must-not-be-named has returned, and the wizarding world is no longer as safe as it used to be. He may not be after you specifically, but he is trying to rid magic of all good." A lump formed in Carly's throat, did he know about last night? "Death eaters are everywhere, and many good wizards have died in battles by the unforgivable curses they use. Tell me girls, has anything suspicious happened since you've gotten school," Carly started thinking about the letter, "Anybody wanting you to meet them in private or wanting secrets to the school or the ministry." Carly wanted to say yes, but the letter couldn't of been from somebody evil. Evil cannot love. "Anything, girls?"

"No sir," Carly felt a pain in her side, like she just made a terrible mistake that could cost her life.

"Cameron? Anything?" Cameron was staring at Carly.

"No." Cameron responded. Professor Dunken continued to question the other girls, all responded with the same answer.

"OK, then your detention for being late, again, will be next Friday night. An owl will be sent to each of you for your individual assignments." The girls all headed for the door. "Wait, I'm not done! Girls, I do have to say I am not impressed of you this year. You have been late every day since school has begun. Your detentions will not be as strenuous as usual because this is only tardiness, but if you keep this up, I will have to start deducting your grades. This year you have O.W.L.S and if you miss any part of your lessons, you won't have very good job opportunities because of test scores. You may go, and girls!" The girls had darted to the door, "Please, be very cautionous, Death Eaters are not forgiving, unless you join them." The five nodded and headed towards lunch.

The lunch hall was already full of hungry witches and wizards. They approached their table where two boys, both in different houses and not in Cougarfang, sat on either side of five seats covered with bags and books they saved for the five girls. Micheal Price and Adam Singer stood up to greet them. Micheal was an average sized boy with long, dark wavy hair, with bleached tips. Micheal had a very bad past with his family. He never talks about it, but he as to live with foster parents. He has alwas had a sort of a crush on Carly, but hid his feelings to avoid teasing from Sierra. Adam Singer was much smaller than Micheal. He had dark blond hair and was a charmer with the girls, especially Laura.

The seven sat down. "Where were you five?" Micheal asked.

"We were late to Professor Dunken's class." Carly told him.

"Again?" Adam said joining in. "What did he give you?"

"A long speech and detention." Cameron said.

"What did he tell you?" The girls all told about Professor Dunken's warning, and what had happened last night.

"Do you think he knows?" said Micheal, who was in shock about the letter.

"We don't know." Carly said. The table went silent as a group of Serpentines passed, Sierra leading, all stairing at the seven. Sierra raised her eyebrow at Carly and Jade and smirked. As she passed, she did a fake cough, along with the word "mudblood".

"THAT'S IT!" Jade yelled as she stood up, ready to fight Sierra, "I AM SICK OF THIS! HOW ABOUT YOU GET BACK OVER HERE YOU COWARDLY BIT-" she called Sierra a rude name, though it totally described her. The hall was silent. Sierra turned back and walked calmly to Jade.

"What did you call me, Mudblood?"

"You heard me," Jade calmed her voice down, "I am sick of you making up rumors about people who don't desearve to be treated like sh-" Jade cursed again, "HOW ABOUT WE END THIS NOW, YOU AND ME!."

"I don't know about you, but the mudblood hurt my feelings. When and Where, Lumino?"

"Tonight at six, in the dueling room, Carly's my back up, you pick your back up."

"What about winning? What do I get, since I am going to win?"

"You decide yours, I'll decide mine, we sign both tonight in front of everybody, and seal it with blood, to make sure none of us go back on it. Deal?"

"Meet you there, loser." She skipped back to the Serpentine table. Jade sat down, shocked at what she just did. The group was silent.

"Where did that come from?" asked Shayla.

"I don't know, did I just make a mistake?"

"No!" Cameron said, "You can beat her!"

"I-I wasn't thinking! I'm sorry, Carly, I d-didn't mean to..." Jade buried her face in her hands.

"It's okay," Carly said. Jade looked up, "I can't wait until we embaress her in front of the entire school!"


	4. The Dueling Game

Chapter Four

The Dueling Game

After lunch, the five Cougarfang girls said goodbye to Michael and Adam and headed to their least favorite class, Charms. Professor Lashae Thorn stained such a simple class with a horrible reputation of imiatation. When she ordered the students to practice the charms she taught, she hovered over each student, her long, curly black hair dangling so close, students were afraid of charming her hair into flying or turning into a pumpkin. Rumors were spread around that her hair had a impermiable shield around it. At every student, except those in Serpentine, she would give a menacing snear with her cold black eyes.

Professor Thorn hated Carly because of a secret twenty five year grudge she had against Carly's parents, Charles and Margaret Terella. Carly never knew them because they died one week after her birth while she was still in the hospital at the hands of a cruel, rumored Death Eater-like wizard, called "The Guiltless", just hours before Voldemort mysteriously dissapeared at the Potter house. Ever since, Carly had been living with her godparents, Chad and Suzy Peters, and their daughter, Ava Peters, whom was a second year in Cougarfang. They treated Carly like their own. They even led her to believe they were her parents, though they had absolutely no blond hair in their family. Carly only found out about her parents the day her letter came, saying she had been accepted to Majorika Academy for Wizards and Witches. For days, Carly locked herself into her room, crying non-stop until she was ready to see anybody's face. Chad and Suzy explained everything about her parents and how they were two of the best aurors in England, then took Carly to Diagon Alley for her first wand, her first set of robes, even her first broom. She started Majorika very sad and depressed, and left her first year with six best friends, and five enemies.

All the students walked in on time, mostly because detentions get worse every time you are tardy, not to mention the points taken away. Serpentines were allowed to be tardy, because they were Professor Thorn's house, so Sierra, Yayo, and Michelle came in five minutes late every day with only a warning. They took plenty of time on the other side of the school talking to Malfichio and Cale in front of their next class, then walked leisurely to Charms.

Bulstrode Tumbler always arrived at least five minutes before everybody else. Bulstrode, a short, chubby brown hair boy in Cougarfang with a round, pudgy face, had learned his first year about being tardy to Professor Thorn's class. He was very slow and had trouble being punctual. A few dozen detentions taught him that the extra cake or cup of pudding wasn't worth being late to Professor Thorn's class.

Bulstrode sat next to Carly and her friends in the back right hand corner,away from Sierra. "Hello!" he would say every day, "How are you today?" All the girls answered with the usual "Fine." They never talked while Professor Thorn was teaching, it was instant detention. They could only hear Sierra in the front, chuckling about how she was going to beat Jade tonight in the dueling hall.

"Class," said the monotonous teacher, "today we will be learning the Shield Charm. This Charm will give you the ability to protect yourself from dangerous spells and curses, minus the unforgivable curses for they are far too advanced and powerful, not to mention unblockable. You, at your beginner state of this charm, will only be able to block anything for a few seconds. Once you become older and more advanced, you will be able to block anything for an entire day. Now, the Charm is, "Protectus Takarus" everybody repeat it with me." They repeated the charm over and over. "Now, watch me." She raised her wand with her bony hand "PROTECTUS TAKARUS!" A bright, purply blue spark came from the tip of her wand and it spread throughout her body and dissapeared, leaving a purply tint. "When the purple dissapears, the charm is gone. Now, umm...Pomatress, give me your best." Sierra stood up and flipped her hair in a cocky way.

"Ummm...EXPELLIARMUS!" A blue light shot out of Sierra's wand. It hit Professor Thorn, then bouced back and hit Sierra, she flew bach and her wand flew out of her hand.

"Nice try, Sierra." Thorn glared at the rest of the class, "Now, I want you to try it on yourselves. Remember, it only lasts a few seconds your first time." The class stood up. Random shouts of protectus takarus were heard. Bulstrode was having difficulty.

"Ummm...Professor," he said raising his hand.

"What is it, Tumbler?" hissed Thorn.

"It doesn't work." Thorn's lip curled.

"Do it for me." Her lips pressed together.

"POTECKUS TATARLUS!" An orange light shot up to a book on the highest shelf. It grew legs and began to dance, just like the other books he had hit. The Serpentines in the class began to snicker wildly.

"QUIET!" Thorn's pale face turned red, she pointed her wand at the books, "OLIMPEROUS!" The dancing books stopped and sat down to their original spaces. "Now, Mr. Tumbler, the charm is 'protectus takarus' repeat it for me." Her cold eyes shot into his as he repeated the charm the right way. "Good, ten points from Cougarfang." She turned to her desk. Carly gaped at the news. Sierra was chuckling at the news of ten more points taken from Cougarfang.

After about a half hour of practicing, Thorn silenced the group. "Now, I will pair you up for a little dueling game. We are only practicing two charms, 'protectus takarus' and 'expelliarmus'. Anybody doing any other sort of spell will have the worst detention of their lives. I will pair you and you will each demostrate your skills. One of you is going to do the sheild charm, and the other will try and stop them before with 'expelliarmus'. Now...Pomatress and Terella, you first, then Coaltrain and Lumino, and Dulan and Bell, step up." Each of the three members of each of the two houses lined up in order on the platform in the center of the room. Sierra and Carly walked to the middle to salute each other with their wands. Sierra rolled her eyes and made a cocky snear to Carly. "Turn, girls. Now, Sierra, you will be blocking and Terella, you will be doing trying to disarm her. Now, on the count of three...one...two...thr-"

"REVERBA CORNTINCA!" Sierra bellowed as she hit Carly with a charm that threw her into the air and slammed her to the ground.

"I SAID TO USE THE SHIELDING CHARM ONLY! TEN POINTS FROM SERPENTINE!" Carly rose up, ready for her spell, "TERELLA, DON'T YOU DARE! I WILL EXPELL YOU IN A HEART BEAT IF YOU USE ANYTHING OTHER THAN WHAT I SAID!"

"EXPELLIARMUS!" Carly shouted. Sierra had no time to put the shield spell on her, and she was forced back against the wall her wand inches away from her.

"Now, Terella, you will sheild, and Sierra will try to disarm. Now...one...two..."

"EXPELLIARMUS!" Sierra's spell did the same to Carly.

"Well, it looks like we need some work...next!"

"PARADONUS CAPRACONE!" Carly shouted. A bright white light shot to Sierra, threw her back, and cripled her to the ground on concious.

"TERELLA!" Thorn screamed, racing to Sierra's side. "COALTRAIN, DULAN, GO FETCH NURSE CANDEN!" Yayo rolled her eyes and walked out the door with Michelle. "Sierra! Sierra can you hear me, say some thing!" Thorn shot menacing looks at Carly.

"Ohhhh...It hurts!" muttered Sierra, becoming half concious. Nurse Roberta Canden, a thin, tall, older witch with almost all grey hair ran in behind Yayo and Michelle pushing a wheelchair.

"What happened to her, Professor!" She said quickly.

"She was hit with a Paradonus charm, hard enough to get knocked out."

"OK, she''ll have to spend three days in the wing on a strick diet so she doesn't get sick. That Paradonus charm is a nasty one for practice, professor! What were you thinking, it's only for auror school!"

"I wasn't teaching it! Miss Terella here decided to get revenge after I specifically said not to."

"Oh, well," the nurse looked nervous "I'll just take Miss Pomatress here...carry on." Thorn helped the nurse get Sierra, who was terribly limp, into the wheel chair. "I'll be of-"

"Wait!" Thorn stopped her, "I need somebody to watch my students, please, while I take Miss Terella to see Professor Beningo. Roberta, would you?"

"OK, but please hurry back, I need to get this one to bed!" she motioned towards Sierra.

"Good...Miss Terella, come." Thorn said sternly. Carly hung her head low as she followed, terribly upset. Professor Thorn said nothing, she was just breathing heavily. They came to a door with a large statue of a goblin. "Birchwood!" The statue split open to a small windowless room with nothing in it. "Wolfsbang!" The floor began to rise quickly, as did the ceiling like they were on a fast elevator. They stopped and two glass doors slid open to a vast room, Headmaster Jerico Beningo's office. Thorn nudged the shaking Carly forward into the office where an old small, dark skined wizard sat, waiting.


	5. Professor Jerico Beningo

Chapter 5 Professor Jerico Beningo

Headmaster Beningo's office was vast in size, maybe the size of some of the classrooms. Gadgets at every corner buzzed and Professor Beningo's snow owl, Talley, squawked after being awoken from a long nap. But the most brilliant of spectacles in the office was the walls and ceilings. The entire room was painting of the most brilliant wizards ever. Hundreds of blinking eyes stared back Carly and Professor Thorn. Some even muttered "What are they doing here?" and even walking out of the room to visit other paintings in the building. But the moment was not the right to be awed by the inspiring scene. Carly was in trouble, and there was no telling what sort of detention or possible expulsion she could endure. Headmaster Beningo was a very kind wizard, strict, but fair and he was very skilled with the art of divination. He cared deeply for all the students at Majorika and treated them all equally. Beningo sat with his hands folded in his lap, likely knowing exactly the scene that was about to take place.  
"Good Afternoon Professor Thorn, Carly. What brings you to my office today?" With much hate toward Carly, Professor Thorn relayed the story to the headmaster, using words like 'insolent' and 'menace' and finished with "She should be expelled, immediately!" But Professor Beningo's expression didn't change, but instead he glanced at Carly.  
"Carly," he started calmly, "Why did you perform the paradonus charm on Miss Pomatress"  
"It was the first thing I thought of, sir, Sierra was using other charms on me as well"  
"I see, anything else?" Carly shook her head. "Professor Thorn is right that you should not be using this spell. It is dangerous and only meant for the most advanced and skilled aurors. Where did you learn such a spell?" Carly opened her mouth, but nothing came out.  
"I'm not sure professor. I just thought it up. I have never seen in nor heard of it." "You liar, you've been in the restricted books, haven't you! Tell the truth!" Thorn screamed at Carly, shaking with rage so violently she turned purple. "Lashae, would you please give Miss Terella and me some privacy. You may return to your class, I will escort Carly myself." Thorn's eyes squinted and she disappeared out the door. Carly stared at the floor, not wanting to meet Professor Beningo's eyes or to see his expression. "Well, Miss Terella, I don't know where you have learned such a dangerous spell, but I assure you that if it is to be performed by you again, I will have to expel you. There is no need for such a spell to even be in this school. I will, however have to give you detention. Meet me in my office seven o'clock tomarrow evening.  
"But, first Carly, I want to ask you, do you know who killed you parents"  
"Yes, a wizard called "The Guiltless". I was told this five years ago. But isn't he"  
"A rumor? No, he is more real than ever, and has been in hiding since You-Know-Who mysteriously disappeared that night he attacked the Potter's. Do you know why "The Guiltless" killed your parents, Carly"  
"They wouldn't surrender"  
"You parents were the best aurors of the age. They were the biggest threat to him, and they wouldn't surrender"  
"Sir, with all due respect, what does this have to do with me? Besides it was my parents he killed"  
"Carly, I have to warn you. The Guiltless is the cruelest wizard ever to exist. He not only goes after a certain person, but also their family. I must warn you that he might be trying to finish what he started fifteen years ago. Once he starts to kill a family, he won't go on to another family until you are dead. And with You-Know-Who on the rise, he might come with a few tricks up his sleeve. He is, after all, one of the most cleaver wizards"  
"But, sir, is it possible he didn't know about me since I was only a week old and I was in the hospital?" "It is, but it is very unlikely. You know, Carly that a keen sense in divination is a component to the creation of a extraordinary wizard. But knowledge in an evil mind can create a plethora of fear. For your detention tomorrow, I would like to show you a very dangerous and complicated spell that very few wizards even know how to use. It is for your own safety and must only be used when you are in grave danger. So, I will see you tomorrow night at seven"  
"Yes sir"  
"Very good, now, be on your way. Oh, Carly, is there anything you wish to tell me at all?" Carly immediately thought of the letter. She should tell him. The letter could be "The Guiltless", but it can't be. A man without love couldn't possibly of written this letter.  
"No sir." And Professor Beningo gave Carly the look that indicated that he knew she had just told a lie, but he wasn't going to question it.  
"Very well, but if something out of the ordinary should arise, I want you to come immediately to me"  
"Yes sir"  
Carly ran down the corridor, not believing that this mystery man who sent the letter could possibly of been the same man who killed her parents. No, it couldn't be at all. He's still in hiding, this is a boy most likely on campus who thought he'd have a go at love at first sight. It just couldn't be. Carly burst into the almost vacant common room to find Jade, Cameron, and Laura sitting in the burgundy chairs by the fireplace. "Carly!" they said together.  
"What happened, where you expelled?" asked Jade.  
"No"  
"Then what happened?" Carly relayed the entire story and watch their mouths drop open.  
"And, that letter just can't be him, it can't be! How can a man who has no love or guilt or fear in his life ever write a love letter like this"  
"Carly, don't, Beningo said he was clever, right? You must destroy the letter now! Don't respond, if it is him, then you won't be falling into his trap!" It was like Jade to say this. The safe way was the only way.  
"Jade, you heard Carly; it can't be him, right?" said Cameron. "I think you should respond to his letter, but don't tell him you'll meet him"  
"No, don't! You just can't!" Carly was so confused. She didn't want to hear the bickering any longer, so she ran up to the empty dormitory and to her desk to snatch a piece of parchment, a quill and a book to write on. She laid on her bed, trying to think how to start this letter. His was very good, but he knew her name. His address was 'the boy who walks by the pond at midnight.' "Dear the boy who walks by the pond at midnight" would sound extremely corny and unromantic. She thought and thought until:

Dear My Secret Lover,  
I will keep this brief, but not knowing you comes with great complications. It's hard to express my feelings about your letter at the moment. It is confusing to me. I cannot explain it with words. But I must warn you that I am in grave danger at the moment and precautions are my best move to take with the rise of You-Know-Who. I mustn't reveal the story until I know you, so I'd like to continue communicating through the written word. I'm sorry it has to be this way, but it is for your safety as well. Yours Truly, Carly

Carly sealed an envelope and wrote "The Boy Who Walks By The Pond At Midnight." She fetched her old barn owl, Payawk, and tied the letter to leg. And with a swish of the wings, she flew out the window. Carly watched as she disappeared into the night without a trace. She shut the window and looked down to find a small envelope with her name scribbled in gold ink. 


	6. Seven o'clock

Chapter Six Seven o'clock

"OK, this guy is totally obsessed with you," Cameron said after being called up by Carly to see the new letter. "That's because he is this….this….this "guiltless" person!" Jade said, "It is totally like him, acting like he is obsessed with you so you'll meet him. Carly, you're falling into his deathtrap"  
"Oh, please, Jade!" said Laura, "If he was determined to kill Carly, he would of done so by now"  
"No, he can't," said Jade, "Nobody comes onto the school grounds undetected. They can't apparate onto campus either! A very powerful charm is blocking any person who tries. The charm sends the person a hundred miles away from here in the middle of nowhere"  
"See, it couldn't have been him. Beningo said that he won't stop obsessing about killing Carly until it is done. I'm sure the longer he waits, the more anxious he'll get. He probably drives himself mad!" "Part of being a great sorcerer is having patience. He waited fifteen years, didn't he? And now, with You-Know-Who and those bloody death eaters returning, I'm sure he's finding a way to lure Carly into a trap. He can't just run out of his hiding place and kill! He has to be sneaky or people will know he has returned"  
"He's just a rumor"  
"HE IS NOT A RUMOR!" Carly screamed at Laura, a single tear streaking down her face, "HE KILLED THEM! HE MURDERED MY PARENTS AND NOW HE WILL ERADICATE ME AS WELL! You have no idea of what I am going through right now!" Carly stormed off, letter in hand. She went out the dormitory, down the stairs, out the common room, and into the vacant classroom across the hall. She sat in her dark corner, where she always came when she was sad, and buried her hands in her face, and wept. She wept in anger towards Laura, lament for her parents, and revenge to whoever "The Guiltless" may be. She wanted to kill him herself; her own wand. She didn't care if the curse was unforgivable or if she would end up in Azkaban for it, as long as it was her who got revenge.  
She curiously opened the envelope, wishing this was not from The Guiltless. She unfolded the new letter; it was a bit shorter than the letter before.

"Dear Carly,  
I sense uncertainty between us. I guess it is only fair to you to know who I am, except my name because it is too dangerous. I reassure you; I am not evil nor am I associated with He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. I can understand any uncertainties you may have had or still have because of his rise. I am about your age and I live on the school grounds with my sister, as well, but I do not attend Majorika. I learn privately from my father, though I do not live with him because of You-Know-Who. I can't explain this exactly, but there are no connections with the Death Eaters. Dearest princess of my heart, I await you reply. Please hurry, patience is a virtue, but love makes it extremely difficult. Love, Yours Truly."

Carly couldn't comprehend it. "How did he know my uncertainties? Why did he really live on campus if he doesn't attend Majorika?" Most of all, the question that she kept repeating, "Why can't I know his name?" It was too much. She returned to crying over her many pains. Carly sat there alone for three hours before returning to her dormitory. She said nothing to Jade, Shayla, Cameron, or Laura as she passed them in the common room on the way upstairs. All she wanted was to know the truth. She grabbed a quill and a piece of parchment. Still crying, she began to write.

"Dear Sir,  
I want to know the truth. Who are you? I must know this to continue our discussions of this matter. I won't tell you everything, but I am in danger. I am being hunted by the same person responsible for my parents' death and I can't just go up to a complete stranger and expect them to be good or evil. I will not respond until I at least know your last name so I can make sure you are not lying. Please, no more secrets like this. Yours Truly, Carly"

Carly folded the letter and stuffed it into an envelope. Payawk had not yet returned from her last journey, so without asking, Carly strapped the letter to Jade's owl, Franco, and watched him fly out the window and into the darkness.  
Carly laid on her bed, thinking about them. She could clearly picture her parents in her mind, at least from pictures, smiling and waving. She could picture how happy they were of Carly's birth, and the horrors of being slaughtered the next week. And she pictured him. How could he look? Was he hideous like his soul, or handsome and cruel at the same time? Thinking about this tired Carly, and she fell asleep. Carly was awoken the next morning by Laura, Jade, Cameron, and Shayla talking loudly. They were already dressed and ready for class. "Oh, look who's up! Good morning, Carly. How are you?" Jade asked. Everybody's head turned towards Carly, except for Laura, who had been very quiet since Carly had stormed out of the room the night before. "Fine," Carly said, shortly, as she pulled off her pajamas and dressed herself in her school robes. Carly was still upset with them, mainly Laura. "Carly, we need to talk." Cameron said.  
"Then talk," Carly snapped again, "what's there to talk about? We talked last night, now this morning; can't we just take a break from talking?" Carly was trying to avoid the discussion of last night, but her against four friends was a bit of competition.  
"This is important, Carly." Said Jade, "We need talk"  
"Okay, talk then!" Carly became more annoyed as the discussion furthered. "Okay, it's like this," said Cameron, "We are forgiving you for what happened last night"  
"You forgiving me, shouldn't it be the other way around?  
"We are getting there!" Cameron snapped, "Anyways, we understand that you were mad because of what Laura said. You need to understand, Laura was brought up thinking that "The Guiltless" was a rumor! It is how her parents soothed her fear was by telling her that he was like the stories of the monsters that lived under the bed! You can't blame her! The entire wizarding world was brought up by thinking he was just a rumor! Carly, we know now that he is as real as we are! You have to forgive Laura!" Carly stopped to look down at the floor. What should she do? She knew it was kind of childish to keep this going for a long time, but Laura still said he was fake. It was like she calling Carly delusional or a big liar. What to do……..what to do…….Carly pondered and pondered. It seemed like forever before she came to a conclusion.

Carly decided that the fight wasn't worth any pain and anguish. In a way, she felt she did overreact, but deep down she still had a burning sensation to hate Laura for it.  
News of Sierra spread quickly. Many first years were afraid of Carly and they winced when they passed by Carly thinking she'd start dueling them. Sierra would be in the hospital for another day and it would be the start of all the awful rumors she will start. But Sierra was at the back of Carly's mind. The only things that bothered her was the mysterious letter and the detention she had tonight with Professor Beningo. Seven o'clock seemed to creep forward slowly. At 6:45, she began her journey across the school to the headmaster's office. Every step asked the same question: what was going to happen? Nerves rattled vigorously. The statue of the goblin was in view. It looked as stern as it did when she visited it with Professor Thorn. Carly approached it "Birchwood!" The goblin split open as it did yesterday. Carly entered the small, windowless room "Wolfsbang!" The floor immediately began to rise quickly and it stopped at the double glass doors that shielded entrance to Professor Beningo's office. She entered the large room once the doors slid open. There was the old headmaster, standing in the middle of the room. The desks, chairs, and other assortments of gadgets had been slid around to create space. "Ah! Good evening, Carly!" said Beningo excitedly.  
"Good evening, sir." Carly was unbelievably nervous. "Are you ready to begin our sort of, oh how should I put this, our lesson detention"  
"Yes, sir"  
"Good, I trust you brought your wand"  
"Yes sir." Carly reached into her robes and pulled out her old Ollivander wand.  
"Good," Beningo pulled out his wand, "Now, Carly, what I am about to teach you is strictly forbidden to wizards and witches your age. Even witches and wizards of age to use this still falter and prefer not to mess with such an advanced and dangerous spell. Before we begin, I must ask you to sign this." He flicked his wand and a crumpled sheet of parchment appeared in his hand. "This states that 'no part of this lesson should ever be revealed to the world outside this room. Failure to do so will result in disciplinary actions.' Do you wish to sign this Carly?" "Yes, sir, umm, do you have a pen?" "Oh, there is no need for those! All you have to do is say 'sigtorus loopriconus' and your signature will appear just as you like it." Carly pointed her wand at the line at the bottom of the contract.  
"SIGTORUS LOOPRICONUS!" An orangish light shot out of the wand and an invisible pen scribbled "Carly Cecilia Terella" in curly, loopy letters.  
"Very good, beautiful signature! Right, the spell I am going to teach you is 'Peculus Remadonus.' This is, as I said, a very dangerous spell, though it might seem harmless. Let me show you, stand back, Carly." Carly moved backwards, nervously, "PECULUS REMADONUS!" A azure light rained out of the tip of Beningo's wand, and he was gone. Carly panicked.  
"Professor? Professor, where are you!" There was no sign of anyone in the room at all. Carly was worried the charm backfired and totally messed everything up.  
"SUNODAMER SULUCEP!" Beningo reappeared, sitting his desk, which was scooted against the wall, laughing. "What happened? Did it work? Hey, it's not funny"  
"It is the Invisibility Charm! Very useful, extremely difficult. Now, shall we begin? Right, the Invisibility Charm uses three components to a successful disappearance; confidence, patience, and illusion. Are you with me so far?" Carly nodded. "Right, to gain confidence, you must block out all internal noise, like discrepancies with friends, mysterious and unusual things, as this school has plenty of, upcoming tests, Sierra." Carly laughed at his joke, but did he know about the letter, or the fight she had with Laura over it? "Those things diminish confidence, and this charm takes a lot, if not full, confidence. You must have patience, as well, if you rush this spell, it can be permanent. By rushing, I mean you expect dramatic results. Besides, lack of patience can cause a lack of confidence. Last, you must imagine yourself invisible imagine the people around you not knowing you are there, or being stunned when you do vanish. It is more of a helper than a necessity, but it definitely helps me disappear. Now, I want you to try, but first, let's say it without wands, just to make sure you pronunciation is antiquate. Repeat after me 'Peculus Remadonus"  
"Pecoolus Remodanus" Carly stuttered.  
"No no, Peculus Remadonus"  
"Peculus Remadonus"  
"Very good! Splendid, now, to practice clearing our minds. Soon, you will be able to do this instantly as confidence builds. Clear you mind of noise, Carly. Think deeply, you can do this; you have much confidence in yourself. Is your mind clear of distractions, Carly"  
"Yes, I think so, sir"  
"That's not good enough, you must know and have confidence that your mind is clear, is it clear, Carly"  
"Yes, sir"  
"Good, now, take a deep breath, imagine yourself invisible. Now, when you are ready, and only if you are ready, do it." Carly thought for a while, invisible, she could see the surprised look on Beningo's face, and then, another letter, no, focus. Invisibility, Beningo is the only one in the room if someone walks in, maybe it'll be the boy who walks by the pond-no, focus. Carly raised her wand "PECULUS REMADONUS!" The same sapphire light that made Beningo disappear shot out of Carly's wand. A tickling sensation overpowered her body. She felt weightless. Then.  
"It didn't work. You look like a ghost"  
"What? I'm a ghost"  
"Just say Sunodamer Sulucep"  
Carly was disappointed and felt that Beningo was ashamed. "SUNODAMER SULUCEP!" Another tickling feeling came upon her. She felt dizzy and soon, her face met the cold, hard floor and everything went black. It seemed like only a few minutes of black, mixed with random dreams. One was of the sender of the mysterious letters, another of what Sierra was going to do tomorrow. Carly awoke to Professor Beningo by her side. "Oh, good, you're awake, I was worried you were worse"  
"What happened?" said Carly groggily.  
"Oh, you just passed out, quite normal for first timers. I was worried because there are people who are so weak; they die when they do this. You did pretty good, usually it's going invisible that gets first timers, but you are strong, Carly"  
"So, can I try again"  
"Oh, no, not tonight, we mustn't upset Nurse Canden. She's already in a fix with Miss Pomatress. No, no, we must say goodnight, Carly. Shall we meet again for another lesson, say next week, same day, place, and time?  
"Yes sir"  
"Very good, now, please be on your way back to your dormitory, and remember our agreement not to let anything out about this"  
"Yes sir." Carly left, woozy, but excited about her next lesson. 


	7. Nightmares

Chapter Seven Nightmares

Carly returned too late to talk to her friends. They had already turned in for the night and were sound asleep. Carly, still light headed, pulled on her pajamas. She collapsed on her bed, taking one last look out the window, spotting a familiar envelope as she shut her eyes. Dreams flooded her mind. But they weren't like any other dream she had before. They weren't dreams, but nightmares. In the illusion, she was walking down a misty, wooded path. Gnarly tree branches curled their wet, black fingers toward her as she continued to walk to the misty clearing ahead. As she reached the clearing, she could see the outline of a man dressed in a black traveling cloak with his back turned towards him. His hair was well shaven from the back and he appeared to be young. She could feel the cold breeze and she approached the man. He was whispering something. It was a spell while standing above a cauldron. Carly looked around some more, there was no one else. She also noticed the familiar white gown she had been dressed in from the first dream. She continued to approach him. As she was closing in, she paused as he turned to face her. His head was bowed. "Sir, can I see your face?" She asked. He said nothing. He only remained standing with his face hidden in the bow of his head. "Please?" In an instant, the man raised his head and shouted a jumbled spell. A green light shot out of his wand and hit Carly. She began to scream.  
"ACKERMAN, ACKERMAN, ACKERMAN…," Carly didn't even know she had woken up, and she continued to toss and turn "ACKERMAN, ACKERMAN, ACKERMAN, ACKERMAN!" "CARLY, CARLY, WHAT IS IT?" Cameron shouted as she was rendered from sleep by Carly's shouts. "ACKERMAN, ACKERMAN, ACKERMAN!" "WHAT IS ACKERMAN"  
"ACKERMAN, ACKERMAN, ACKERMAN"  
"WHAT'S WRONG WITH HER?" Jade asked trying to restrain Carly's flailing arms.  
"I DON'T KNOW, CARLY, WHAT IS WRONG?" Carly let out a blood curdling scream.  
"ACKERMAN….ACKERMAN….ACKERMAN!" "Get a teacher! Hurry!" Cameron said to Laura. Laura ran downstairs, all of the Cougarfangs were outside the halls, groggy. Five minutes later, Professor Dunken rushed in to Carly's side.  
"What happened?" he asked, no one knew. "Carly, what is it? What is wrong"  
"ACKERMAN, ACKERMAN, ACKERMAN!" Dunken let out a gasp.  
"What is it?" asked Cameron.  
"It's happening all over again." "What is?" "We need to get her to the hospital wing, now! Go fetch Professor Beningo, immediately!" Dunken took Carly into his arms.  
"ACKERMAN, ACKERMAN, ACKERMAN!" Carly was carried out of the room, Cameron tried to follow, but…  
"Back to bed, all of you!" Dunken shouted to all the students in the halls. Jade and Shayla were in tears, worried about Dunken's reaction.  
Dunken ran, Carly in arms screaming 'Ackerman', down the hall to the hospital wing were Nurse Canden, Laura, and Professor Beningo were already. "Laura, please leave, I need to speak with Professor Beningo alone." Laura left the room.  
"It's him, headmaster. She keeps on screaming Ackerman, and she awoke doing this." "Keep her under close watch, give her what you can, Roberta." Nurse Canden rolled Carly away. "Do you think it is him, headmaster, The Guiltless"  
"I'm afraid that there isn't much of another explanation, do you remember what happened to Harriet Harley"  
"Yes, and Mona Meeks as well. And I've heard other stories of Juliet Jiggins and Persephone Peters, it all leads back to Radiance Riley"  
"Oh yes, the story of Radiance Riley. All repeat the same thing, dressed in a dress, dark mysterious figures. And they all wake up screaming. But isn't she only screaming Ackerman"  
"Yes, why"  
"If I remember correctly, all of these women before her would scream "Cole Ackerman"  
"What does that have to do with anything"  
"Well, it could be something different, it has in fact been twenty years since the case of Harriet Harley, The Guiltless could have a change in his plans"  
"What do you mean"  
"Well, there is another change"  
"What"  
"Harriet, Mona, Juliet, and Persephone all died within five minutes of their panic attacks, all on the same night and time Radiance Riley was killed, October 31st at 2:59am." 


	8. The Curse of Radiance Riley

Chapter Eight The Curse of Radiance Riley

Laura couldn't believe what she just heard while sitting outside the door of the infirmary. Carly was going to die. She ran, tears streaking wildly down her cheek, back around the corner to her dormitory. She reached the room, shaking violently, and collapsed on the floor. "Laura!" Cameron, who had been staring out the window, screamed as Laura hit the ground. After a few minutes of fanning Laura, she came to. "Laura, what happened." Laura was still shaking. "Sh-sh-she i-i-issss g-g-going to d-d-die!" Laura studdered. "W-what?" "I-I h-h-heard Dun-Dun-Dunken and B-Ben-Beningo t-talking." "About what? Please calm down." "Four other girls before Carly, all died the same way, same time, tonight, screaming. All at the same time a girl was murdered." "Who was murdered?" "Radiance Riley." "I've heard that name before. Where have I heard it?" Cameron, Jade, Laura, and Shayla stayed up the entire night for news of Carly's condition, but it never came. They did nothing for Halloween, celebrating was out of the question. No news came for a week, and they knew by then that they would of heard if Carly had died. News of Carly's panic attack spread quickly throughout the school. Sierra even had the nerve to make fun of it, but was silenced when Jade hit her with a dancing curse before breaking out into tears. What if she died and they didn't tell them? The questions pondered and piled up like crazy. Finally, a week and a half later, the news came. Carly had been sent to the local wizard hospital, St. Theresa's Hospital for Critically Corrupted Witches, Wizards, and Other Magical Beings, and had just returned to the school's infirmary. At last, they were going to see her. They were going to see her caring smile, her big brown eyes. That day after lunch, the five, and Michael and Adam, went to the hospital wing. When they got there, Nurse Canden was standing near the front as if she was a seating hostess. "Can I help you?" She said with a stern look on her face. "We'd like to see Carly Terella, please." Jade said. "Sorry, no visitors." "Excuse me?" "Is there a problem?" "We need to see her. We need to see if she is okay." "Miss Terella is fine, she is resting now and very weak. She almost died, you know, that silly curse of that Riley girl." "Curse?" "Please leave!" "No, not until we see Carly!" "NOW!" They scurried away, down the hall, thinking of nothing but… "Radiance Riley…Radiance Riley...where have I heard that name?" Cameron pondered. "Are you talking about the Riley murder?" Michael asked. "Yes, yes, do you know the story?" "Not by heart, but there is a book in the library on it. I remember passing it when I was looking for a topic for my potions paper. She was mentioned this term in history, not much was said, except she was the first killing of The Guiltless. She died on the morning of October 31, 1795 at exactly fifteen years and fifteen days, to the very second. That's all I can remember." Cameron yanked his arm hard down the south hall. "Run, we need to find that book!" She pulled Michael in a sprint, leaving their friends behind. They turned the corridor, nearly slipping, to the vast library. The library was full of thousands of books, all in their own proper place. It was it's own tower, stretching up as far as it went, too many floors to keep track, usually, nobody makes it to the top floor, which is the restricted sections. "Okay, where did you find it?" Panted Cameron. Michael, who had his head between his knees, pointed up. "Biographies, eighth floor, can we-ahh!" "No!" Cameron yanked Michael's arm and began to run up the stairs. Almost out of breath, Cameron and Michael reached the eighth floor biographies. "Okay," panted Cameron, "She lived….in the…eighteenth….century….she should…..be over….here." They walked around to the book shelves with the "Eighteenth Century" sign over it. "Okay, Radiance Riley, Radiance Riley…R...R...R, okay, Richardson, Riddle, Rie, Riff, Riga…umm…Ooo! Riley! Umm…Dawn Riley, no, Ed Riley, no, Here it is! Radiance Riley, The Tale of the Unfortunate Curse. Curse?" "Maybe it is something to make it sound more dramatic?" "I sure hope so!" Cameron and Michael sat at a nearby table behind the bookshelves, which went deeper back than the tower was wide. They flipped to the first page. There was an absent painting labeled Radiance Elegy Riley 16 October 1780 31 October 1795. "Only fifteen days after she turned fifteen." "Isn't Carly's birthday October 16th?" "Yeah, it is." Cameron began to think. What connection could this Riley girl have with Carly? One, they shared the same birthday. They turned to the next page. "'Radiance Riley was one of the most talented young witches if her time. She started schooling at Majorika on 1 September 1791 at age ten. Teachers raved that her abilities to perform magic was much more developed than most second and third year students.' Where is the part about her death?" Cameron flipped through the book until she came to a page saying "'Chapter Fifteen, The End of a Prodigy, The Start of a Curse.' This is it! 'Radiance Riley began her fifth year as usual…… she began receiving letters from an anonymous sender…..They communicated back and forth, until early Halloween morning, they decided to meet. The letter instructions of the letter were to meet this person 'in the far north clearing of the Iniquity Forest on the east side of the campus in a fancy white dress'. Excited, she did so, and was found dead by the Killing Curse a week later' What about the bloody curse?" Cameron flipped through the pages to a page with six pictures of five girls, one picture was empty. The first was labeled as Radiance's absent picture was in the beginning. The second one said Persephone Lillian Peters 16 October 182231 October 1837. The third one said Juliet Abigail Jiggins 16 October 186431 October 1879. The fourth picture was labeled Mona Madison Meeks 16 October 190631 October 1921. The fifth was labeled Harriet Rebecca Harley 16 October 194831 October 1963. The empty picture made Cameron gasp as it read Carly Cecilia Terella 16 October 1990death to be determined, but will most likely occur 31 October 2005. Tears welled in Cameron's eyes. Even the predicted death of Carly was too much to bear. What if she was dead. Then, Cameron saw something in the other photographs that she didn't notice before. Michael and her gasped at the sight as she shed a tear that fell onto the page. 


End file.
